U.S. Weighs Humanitarian Aid To Help Trapped Iraqis

The Obama administration is weighing an urgent response to help trapped religious minorities in Iraq, with one option being delivery of humanitarian aid.

That’s according to two people familiar with administration discussions. Top administration officials are meeting about the options at the White House Thursday.

The urgency comes as Sunni extremists have made major gains in Iraq’s north. The extremists took over the Kurdish town of Sinjar, forcing its population of Yazidi minorities to flee with little food or water.

The people familiar with this administration’s thinking insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter by name.